LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN's mission is to take travelers to the places in Japan that we believe are worth visiting and preserve the longevity of these craft-based cultures and their communities for the future. We aim to revitalize the economies of local craftsmaking areas, help preserve traditional skills and cultures that are disappearing, and support local makers to innovate crafts to suit modern times. To realize this vision, we adhere to a solid project-specific policy to ensure that the journeys we offer benefit all three parties: the makers, the people of the region, and the travelers.
A key element of our tours, that makes the traveler’s experience special and inspiring, is the opportunity to meet and visit the makers of craft-products that are unique to the region. Through this encounter and dialogue, we hope to foster an intimate community between producers and consumers who may not have had contact with each other before.
We work with local grassroots designers, creators, and community organizers to develop our tours. We deliver unique experiences by working with local curators in-the-know who love their local area.
Guides play an essential role in our tours. They help the traveler to gain a deeper understanding of the local context and story of a region's craftsmanship. We endeavor to select guides locally as they have a wealth of knowledge and a love of the region and its craftsmanship.
We actively seek to engage local producers and local restaurants to ensure that we can contribute to the local economy and deliver an exceptional dining experience to our travelers.
Whenever possible, we propose to use public transport (trains, metro, local buses, etc.) or environmentally friendly means of transport (electric cars, e-bikes, etc.) to get around a region on our tours. We believe that it is essential to choose a sustainable means of transport for our proposed journeys to and within a region, so as not to harm or have a negative impact on the natural environment through tourism.
LOCAL CRAFT JAPAN organizes and runs pop-up events in various countries where you can directly experience craft-making and online tours where you can connect with people from the region.
In select shops around the world you will be able to see, touch and buy the crafts created by Japanese craftspeople based on the history and culture of Japan, as featured in our travel itineraries. We also run workshops deploying Tactile VR.
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We are pleased to introduce a new online journey itinerary to bring the possibility of experiencing Japanese craft worldwide.Experience a new approach to tourism that you can’t find in a guidebook.
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